Serena slapped with fine for US Open meltdown

"You can't have one rule for some players and some umpires don't adhere to it and allow players to get away with things".

Williams lost the match due to three violations, including a cheating accusation and a point being confiscated by chair umpire Carlos Ramos.

Retired male professionals also jumped to the defence of Ms Williams. He said so after the match (although Williams was adamant they don't have any established signals).

But the American also later admitted the umpire was "within his power to make that call" after being called a "thief".

Osaka's father, Leonard Francois, gets so nervous he can not watch his daughter in action, but she credits him for her big-match mentality.

Before the match, experts wondered if Osaka could handle the pressure of her maiden Grand Slam final, especially considering it was against Williams, who was gunning for a recordequalling 24th Grand Slam singles title in front of a partisan crowd.

"We always had to go by the rules", Court, who dominated tennis during the 1960s and early 1970s, said according to a report in The Australian. "That's not the way you want to celebrate your first Grand Slam victory and it was just sad for the sport to see it".

With this victory and the manner of it, she has positioned herself as the next big hope to succeed Williams as the dominant force in women's tennis. "I understand why you may have thought that was coaching, but I'm telling you it's not", she said. Serena Williams has no shortage of supporters or fans, including those in the A-list world of celebrity.

Singers Nicki Minaj and Janelle Monae both supported Ms Williams.

After losing a couple of points following two double faults and netting a backhand, Williams smashed her raquete into the ground, inviting a second code violation for "racquet abuse".

The second violation also cost her a point in the match, sparking her renewed verbal attack on Ramos, a code violation which carried a US$10,000 fine.

That drew a second code violation - and, automatically, cost Williams a point.

It was the second Grand Slam final defeat in a row for Williams, after Wimbledon in July, as she seeks an initial major title since returning to the tour after having a baby in 2017.

"This is outrageous", said Williams warming to her theme. Ramos interpreted the remark as verbal abuse, and awarded a game to Osaka, putting the eventual victor one game away from victory.

Naomi Osaka attributed her composure during a wild first grand slam final partly to her sister's taste in bakery products.

Tennis great John McEnroe, one of the game's most tempestuous characters in his playing days, said the sport must find a way to allow players to express feelings and inject their personality into the game while adhering to the rules. "Odd to do that in a Grand Slam final", Mouratoglou said.

"I'm here to fight for women's rights and women's equality", she said later.

"The star of the show has been once again the chair umpire", he tweeted.

Ings once issued a warning, point penalty and a game penalty against McEnroe at the 1987 U.S. Open for obscenities directed at the umpire. We are gonna get through this, and let's be positive.

The statement from tournament officials said that Ramos's decision on the verbal abuse - ultimately a judgment call (unlike the racket abuse, which was automatic) - "was final and not reviewable".